Take a Stand – Popular Dissent vs Injustice

Yes, many injustices were done while no-one took to the streets and most people didn’t even notice…

The Sandy Hook massacre of the children in school.

The strange gun laws.

The wanton fracking.

The unconstitutional spying.

The Environmental Degradation.

The deeply disturbing social welfare cuts.

The vast rise of wealth, resource, and attendant power inequality.

The Collapse of Ecosystems and the Financialization of the Commons.

The loss of Equal Rights.

The loss of the Right to Abortion.

The Loss of Clean Air.

The loss of the Water table, the toxicity of the Rivers and the toxic pollution of the Aquifer.

The Acidification of the oceans.

The desertification of the land.

And the general malaise that has descended on the polluted cities inhabitants.

All of them serious issues…

And each one of these issues, would suffice to get millions of people out onto the streets.

Except it didn’t.

Trayvon Martin’s murder though did.

Both in America and elsewhere…

You think the Turkish Citizens of Istanbul, the Syrians, the Kurds, the Egyptians, thought long about why they have to get out and protest before they donned their Courage and streamed into the streets protesting against INJUSTICE ?

Methinks – Not.

No, not at all…

I know because we organized a flash mob of Thousands in a mere few hours, to get people to come out. To come out and hear me in Gezi park speaking about the 600 brave trees and the millions of brave Citizens of Istanbul ready to lay it all down for Environmental and Social Justice.

And people came to listen. They came in twos and threes and through subterfuge to evade the Police occupying Taksim Square. Because these two seemingly disparate things are completely intertwined. Wherever there is one – the other flourishes. And vice versa. If we have Social Justice, the Environment get to benefit as well and the people enjoy higher quality of Air, Fresh Water and Sustainable Food.

In the Gezi Park where I spoke — in the heart of Istanbul, next to Taksim Square — the crucible of the people’s Revolution of Turkey; the Three Thousand people who joined me were all simply Democrats.

Yes they were Istambulites, and Citizens of Turkey vowing to fight for Democracy and Human Rights.

Yes, they were nationalists.

Yes, they were Kemalists.

Yes they were football fans.

Yes they were University students.

Yes they were husbands and wives linking arms.

Yes they were children.

Yes they were Innocents.

Yes they were Builders, Architects and Masons.

Yes they were Construction workers and University Professors.

Yes they were Musicians and Artists.

Yes they were Authors and Dramatists.

Yes they were beautiful actors and actresses.

Yes they were everyday people and the occasional covered head with a simple scarf.

Yes there were some environmentalists who cared that much about the 600 trees in the park in the centre of Istanbul that they risked being shot or arrested or even worse to come out and hear a man talk of love and Beauty of our Natural World and of what the Six hundred trees represent as sentient witnesses of our continued destruction and the burning up of our planet’s living skin. …

You know that the trees and the forests represent the living skin of our Earth right?

And maybe they did, and maybe they did not.

But they recognized that although maybe everyone didn’t agree on what was right, everyone knew damn well what was wrong and that the battle against an oppressive state can only be won if the people stand united.

You complain about everything and yet You do nothing.

People complain about the Environment and the poor Air Quality claiming lives and yet they Do Nothing.

Both in China and in the US largest cities, the Air quality sucks claiming many years off the life of people.

China has now published the Governmental Study of the Environment Protection Agency that clearly shows that the nasty air kills people massively. And on the average it cuts down at least five years off of their Lives.

There are no protests about this anywhere. Not in the Greatest Cities on Earth that the Chinese metropolis represent.

And this is being used by the government to distract attention from the pressing issues of Environmental degradation, Ecosystem Collapse and habitat Loss all around the World.

Take Athens Greece for example that has the angriest air of all of Europe. People never protest about that issue. Although hey are dying from it…

Maybe they have a death wish. or they are suicidal after so many years of Crisis. And although that may be right for some people, you sitting at home, complaining online about not having your voice represented on the streets means the forest burners, the polluters, the land speculators, the bureaucrats, the government lackeys, and the Corruptors — have won.

Please — Wake Up.

Rise up from the deep slumber and protest.

Do this for me, because the only one who can properly address the Environmental Issues you’re concerned about is you.

If the quality of your Air is poor — Voice your Dissent.

If the Air you breath, has not enough Oxygen in it — Fight for a breath.

And if the Air of your city is angry and is killing you — best get out on the Streets quickly and demonstrate.

Staying Silent for this … is a Cardinal Sin.

So get out there, and let your voice be heard.

The nature of the catalyst for your uprising is irrelevant.

Yet the root causes of our Human Rights is what provides the platform for the people to Go out and Demonstrate.

It is the innate Sense for Justice that leads people to voice their anger, their anxiety, their determination — and demonstrate their will to fight against injustice, no matter what…

Yours,
Pano

PS:
And in neighbouring Greece and Athens where I visited and worked after Istanbul — I found the people passive, docile, dormant and unwilling to face the Environmental disaster claiming their lives each and every day of the week.

Because each and every hour and minute, people die off in Athens due to the poor state of the Air Quality and the lack of Oxygen after the Greeks burned up all of their forests for Real Estate speculation.

Smart lot eh?

And yet the ever smarter than though, Greeks — think it’s the fucking aeroplanes spraying from up above….

They believe it’s the contrails that cause their illnesses and catatonic state.